stefano

yeah, that is rather bizarre. kinda like clymer's Velocette/Indian. the really bizarre thing is THAT really happened. cheers, stef

hi bob i also have a grey & red '02 Le Mans. it's not my most comfortable M/C, but it's my favorite. if i'm just going out for a gallop it's the one i'll ride. and overall it's pretty reliable, even for a couple days camping. i've also wondered how many V11 bikes were produced. i had a '74 Norton 850commando mk 1A that i loved (even though it wasn't reliable)for many years, and i remember that about 50,000 commandos were produced, between about '68 to '75. seems like a lot. until i read that ducati produces 40,000 units per year. now THAT seems like a lot. so....if anybody knows about how many of our V11 were produced, i'd also be interested to know. thanks, s

i'm not a non poster, because (i think) i post enough to be a non lurker.?

i feel your pain. i put a wee bit if silicone on the trip odometer shaft, so it's not unscrewing itself anymore, works fine now. but....the main odometer just quit, sheesh.... i've been using a sigma bicycle speedo/odometer on the old beemer since the odometer on it failed after 66,000 miles. i just bought one for the Le Mans, will be installing it soon. they work great, are very accurate and only cost about 20 bucks. good luck, s

just a heads up for anyone with a manual fuel petcock. perhaps they should be turned off/on occasionally, there seems to be a *use it or lose it* thing with these (mine anyway) i've been trying to turn my manual one off for a couple years, no amount of WD40 or like fluids seem to help loosen it, it's really stuck. i'm able to move it about 1/3 turn & no more. yeah, i've tried pliers etc. but don't want to create a worse problem. gonna need a breather hose soon, so i'll be ordering a new shut-off also. cheers, s

my first *real* motorcycle was a BSA Bantam, i think a 1948, had some kind of girder? fork with big rubber bands? had a rusty chrome tank with a rooster decal on it. bought it at a yard sale for $15.00, pushed it home (didn't run). got it running, loved that bike. i was 11 years old, that's how this motorcycle thing all started. ;^) stef

thanks much for the beautiful tour. made my day! stef(stuck in a shop running lathe & mill, while it rains outside)

yeah, perhaps i should put a hose clamp around the knob shaft to keep it from unscrewing (like i do on my oil filter) :^) cheers, s

update, think i figured this one out. seems turning the knob the opposite direction it will unscrew?, then i must turn knob same # of turns until it will start to start to zero out? and it is the shaft that's unscrewing, not the knob. seems like this is what has happened. did it unscrew it self while riding from vibration? can the knob & shaft unscrew & fall off while riding? anyway it works again, if your trip meter ever won't zero out, try turning the knob until it will, it works for me. cheers, stef

about a year ago i was zeroing out the tripometer after fuel stop & it just spun freely, wouldn't zero out. pulled away from pump & spun the knob a few times and it finally *caught* & zeroed out, been working fine ever since. yesterday (4,000 miles later) after fuel stop, again just spun free, no amount of spinning knob would zero it out. today, just for the hell of it spun the knob about 15 or 20 times, it *caught*, zeroed out & seems to be working fine again, WTF? the shaft is turning, & i'm turning it in the proper direction. have had no other problems with the gauges, everything fine xcept trip meter not zeroing out. is this a common problem? 2002 le Mans, 19,000 miles, white faced gauges. stef

i've owned my '02 le Mans for couple years, & it has been(knock wood)every bit as reliable as my airhead BMW, & IMHO Much more fun to ride. if you opt for the R65, ask the seller how often the trans spline lube has been done, a weak spot on airheads. happy hunting, stef

i could be wrong, but this sounds like the *classic* bullet connecter problem to me. try turning the bars back&forth while pushing the starter button. good luck, stef

i had a simpson bandit for years (in red)that i really liked. then i got an AGV spectro (a gift), liked it also, i still use it for winter, the foam is worn out, but it allows me to use a thick fleece balaclava inside for warmth. spring summer is AGV S-4; couple years old, fits good, & visor stays up fairly well at speed, if i'm so inclined. these helmets all have a rather small shell, which allows me to comfortably look behind or any direction while riding. i dislike a helmet that hinders head movement while trying to look around. cheers, s

i see where a member in good standing is selling his beautiful greenie V11 to surprise his wife with a boob job. can't boob jobs be put on a master card? i dunno.... i believe rudyard kipling once said "a woman is just a woman but a good cigar is a smoke" substitute cigar for V11..... but i've been divorced twice,(both cost me dearly) so what the hell do i know? uh oh, here comes my girlfriend, better go before she sees the kipling quote. stef (ducking for cover)

i see where a member in good standing is selling his beautiful greenie V11 to surprise his wife with a boob job. can't boob jobs be put on a master card? i dunno.... i believe rudyard kipling once said "a woman is just a woman but a good cigar is a smoke" substitute cigar for V11..... but i've been divorced twice,(both cost me dearly) so what the hell do i know? uh oh, here comes my girlfriend, better go before she sees the kipling quote. stef (ducking for cover)

I had an RD350LC 'Power Valve' many many years ago. Fantastic bike. Nearly killed me. Would love to ride it again. as a lad i had an RD350 air cooled with clip-ons & chambers. i know what you mean about nearly killing you. boy would it come on the pipe, better hold on tight loved the bike. yamaha made TONS of 'em, i think most of them were destroyed 'cause everyone learned to roadrace on them back then. yeah, my V11 gives me kinda the same feeling when i'm riding it, although i'm much more sedate nowdays... ;^) cheers

i just wish it would stop for a wee bit, we've had plenty (and yes, i do know i live where it rains) ;^)

blue smoke, guess i have to read the post a little better. hmmmm... i agree on changing all fluids & grease driveline, & just ride it. cheers s

since nobody has replied, this is what works for me. i run mobil 1 V twin 20-50 synthetic. i check oil with dipstick NOT screwed in(bike level), close to full notch. and a band clamp around the filter (LOTS of information on this site about THAT) once again this works for me,others may say i'm full of shit, seems to be many opinions about what oil, dipstick use, etc. etc. don't know about the smoke, what color, etc, etc. if you're not sure about the oil, just change it then you won't be guessing about it. while your at it adjust the valves, you'll be pleased with how simple this is. i saw a tenni on craiglist in Boise Idaho (this IS in your neighborhood, being as the northwest is SO vast)year or so ago, is this the bike? looked nice in photos. V11 are great M/Cs lotsa fun too ride. have fun, s

pete, tell the missus the girlfriend & i got quite a laugh outa that last pic. cheers, s oh yeah, hope the *fix* stays fixed

i'd never heard of a lambda sensor so i looked it up. it's an oxygen (O2) sensor. used in exhaust systems of engines. also many other applications. oddly enough i just put a new one on my old dodge truck, it was running very rich & getting 6 MPG, i was told to try this first, it worked, runs better now, back up to 15 or so MPG. i hadn't seen anything similar to this on my '02 le mans, but there are bolt head plugs on underside of both headers just before they insert into stock crossover(the one under trans,there's no crossover on headers in front of alternator). is this where the lambda sensor(s) would be? if there was one?

our u-joints need to be in plane with each other, meaning that the cross's need to be in the same position relative to each other so that when our wheel works up & down the u-joints can move up & down without binding each other. that said, the driveshafts can be assembled in four different arrangements relative to each other that will be fine,(0,90,180,270) degrees. the cross's will be in the same position relative to each other in any of these positions, although the paint marks will not line up at 90, 180, 270. i don't remember the # of splines in the center of the driveshaft, but it is possible to align one or more splines off, the worse case being 45 degrees off. when i bought my V11, i noticed the driveshaft paint lines didn't line up. on further inspection i noticed that my cross's actually were aligned, but the trunnions were off by 90 degrees. as the cross's were aligned i didn't worry about it 'til i changed tires, then i aligned the paint marks, just for the hell of it, i could have left them 90 degrees off, no problem, but anything other than 0-90-180-270 apart would be unacceptable. i've heard of paint lines put on wrong from the factory(i haven't seen any personally) but as long as the cross's line up you're good. standard disclaimer, this is my personal opinion, possibly the only opinion like this in the the whole universe. cheers, stef

great ride. thanks for takin' me along. cheers,stef

i'd not heard of this before. guess this is what i learned today , good sleuthing! i must say, when i first saw this thread, it kinda reminded me of my favorite ale (bridgeport india pale ale)that is bottle conditioned. it has a small yeasty sediment on the bottom of bottle. i always swirl the bottle wnen i'm halfway done (i don't shake it first)

well, it's a ways from your place, but i just got a sump gasket & valve cover gaskets(&filter and oil) from my nearest guzzi dealer, cascade moto classics in portland, oregon. i try to buy everything i can from them,(i'd like to see them stay in business) they're good folks, and they had everything in stock. cheers, s EDIT don't forget the #40 clamp for around the filter. (hardware store)